Mark 11:24 “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. “

Have you ever prayed for something only to feel like God did not hear you? You are not alone. There have been many times in my life that I have prayed for someone or something but then got no response from God. There have been other times when I have prayed and literally minutes later the prayer was answered. When it comes to prayer it is important that we 1.) have faith in God 2.) ask for the right thing with the right motives.

In this passage Jesus makes a point to the disciples about the power and importance of prayer. When the disciples asked Jesus about the fig branch, Jesus first words were “Have faith in God”. When you ask something of God in prayer, have faith that He will do it. When Jesus talked about moving mountains He was using a common symbol that was used during that time to refer to something that was impossible. If you want to have an effective prayer life, have faith that believes God can do the impossible. But faith is not the ONLY instruction about prayer.

James 4:3 says “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” Here James gives us a clear answer as to why we do not get what we ask for; we ask for selfish things. What are you praying for right now? That your family would win the lottery? That you would get a lot of presents for you birthday. That you would be popular at school? Prayer that is answered is in line with God’s will. If you are asking for things that are not in God’s will, they will not be answered. Check your motives when you pray. But most importantly, pray.

One of the most neglected areas in a Christians life is prayer. Yes we pray before meals and before bed but is that the only time that Jesus wants us to talk to Him? Jesus wants us to talk to Him all the time. He wants us to tell Him our feelings thoughts and desires. An easy to memorize verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which says “pray without ceasing.” Don’t stop talking to God. Ask for faith. Ask that He would guide you to pray for the right thing. Just talk to Him.

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This passage is speaking about watchmen that will be placed over Jerusalem and their sole responsibility will be to remind God of His promises toward His people. We do not know much about these watchmen but we do know that they will be constantly praying to God for the people. They will be interceding. To intercede means to intervene on behalf of another. For example, if you knew your best friend was going to do something stupid, you would intervene or do something to stop them.

This is a great reminder to us about how we should constantly be praying for other Christians that we know and for all Christians around the world. The verse above tells them to not let God have any rest until He accomplishes His ultimate purpose. We should have the same attitude in prayer. Pray all the time. Who can you pray for? How can you pray for them? Start asking your family and friends how you can pray for them.

Not only should we be praying for our brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be praying for people that we know don’t have a relationship with Christ that they might come to repentance(1 John 5:16).

Here are a couple if tips to enhance your prayer life.

1. Take a few minutes and be quiet before you pray. Let God speak to you and make sure you are focused before you start.
2. Schedule a specific time during the day to pray. Try not to do it right before you go to sleep while you are in bed, you will just fall asleep. This is too important to give you last waking hours too.
3. Keep a prayer journal. A small notebook or take notes on your cell phone so that you remember who and what to pray for.
4. Pray somewhere you know you will not be distracted(Matthew 6:6).
5. Pray out loud. This will help you concentrate better and not get distracted by your own thoughts.
6. Kneel or lay down on the floor. It’s not like God won’t hear if you don’t do this but laying down our kneeling is a universal sign of submission and when we pray we are going before our Holy God and submitting to Him.
7. Lastly know who you are praying to. You are praying to our perfect and Holy God and the only way we have access to Him is through the Blood of Jesus. God is not our go-fer. Don’t just pray to God when you want something from Him. Tell Him how much you love Him and appreciate Him.

God bless you and keep praying!

We thank you for allowing us to enter a new year. We praise you for all that you have done this past year. Thank you for your provision and protection. Thank you for showing yourself to us. We know you have plans for this year, we ask for your strength to be faithful to the calling. We pray that your glory will be shown in this world that needs the light. We ask that we would have a boldness to share about your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank you for salvation! We pray that we would not take this precious gift lightly but cling to it. We ask that you would be our rock in this year which will bring different trials to different families. We ask that you would comfort those who are entering this year with loss, disease, heartache, and hurt. We pray that you would be Jehovah Jirah, the Great provider to our economy. We pray and seek your will and we pray that we will not seek ours. Lord please continue to work on our hearts and please forgive us of our sins. May we throw off every weight that is slowing us down in this race to the finish. Please Jesus come quickly (Maranotha) 

Amen

Personal prayer requests of 2009:

• The Jr. High youth will know God in a deeper way than before.
• We would be challenged in the areas we need growth.
• For us to be more involved in areas of service.
• For our baby girl to continue to grow and to be healthy.
• For my wife- health and strength during the pregnancy.
• Pastor Greg and his family, strength and more power to carry on.
• The Harvest staff and leadership for guidance this year.
• For the crusades that will be happening this year, 09.
• For the retreats this year, they will be life changing.
• For our new president.
• God’s glory spread throughout the world in a very powerful way.